


'Til Death Did Us Part

by tennesseebedward



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 'nah', Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, F/F, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Road Trips, Sad and Happy, tbh expected this to be a lot sadder, then i just went
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennesseebedward/pseuds/tennesseebedward
Summary: Both the Potters and the Longbottoms die in 1981. Lily quickly realizes death recontextualizes a lot of things -- especially her feelings about Alice.
Relationships: Alice Longbottom & Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom/Lily Evans Potter, Frank Longbottom/James Potter, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: Solstice Flashfest





	'Til Death Did Us Part

**Author's Note:**

  * For [limeta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeta/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [limeta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeta/pseuds/limeta) in the [Solstice_Flashfest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Solstice_Flashfest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Lily and Alice, in the afterlife, realise their feelings for each other. It's never too late?

It’s 1981, and Lily Potter is dead.

It takes her a moment to notice. The Dark Lord’s just invaded her home, and she’s fairly certain that He killed James. Her top priority becomes protecting her son. And she does. When He came into Harry’s nursery, Lily was ready. So when the Dark Lord disappears -- she doesn’t remember what happened between Him coming in and Him disappearing -- Lily’s relieved to hear Harry’s cries. She’s less relieved to discover she’s standing over her own body, mere footsteps away from Harry’s crib.

When she goes downstairs, she finds James’s body on the kitchen floor. James’s spirit, on the other hand, is trying to wash his hands. He can’t turn the faucet on.

“James,” Lily says.

He doesn’t answer. He just tries to turn on the faucet, even though his hand keeps passing through the metal handles.

“James,” Lily repeats, louder.

At this, James pauses. He turns to Lily, and she can see the worry on his face.

“Harry’s fine,” she says. Then, in an attempt to lighten the mood, she gestures to herself. “I could be better.”

James, again, doesn’t immediately respond. He instead looks at his body on the floor. It’s still facing the door, as if having just heard something outside. He licks his lips. Lily remembers it was a nervous tick, if only to remember this is not something he can feel anymore.

(Of course this is something she needs to get used to. Something _they_ need to get used to, she mentally corrects. James is as much her partner in death as he was in life.)

“I,” James pauses. He looks down at his hands. “I got something on my hands before He came. I think I was trying to clean the table.” He blinks, then continues. “I thought if I could get it off, I’d… Then this wouldn’t have actually...” 

James trails off, instead staring at his body on the floor.

Lily walks -- floats? Ghosts are supposed to do that. But Lily can’t feel any difference in her movements -- to James. She hugs him.

Though there is no physical warmth in the hug -- Lily’s not entirely certain if there is physicality in it at all, now that they’re ghosts -- James returns it.

* * *

The Potters quickly learn there is a difference between being a ghost and being a specter. Ghosts can be seen and heard by living people. Specters cannot. Lily and James are specters, and they are unable to find any other specters to bond with. It’s too soon to figure out how to communicate with living family or friends. Death is too fresh on everyone’s minds, especially their own. 

So Lily and James leave Godric’s Hollow, at least for a while. There’s no end goal to their journey, but meandering alone is not a bad quality. A perk to being invisible is not having to pay tolls. Lily and James spend most of their days on buses and trains, only really staying in towns long enough to change transits. 

James doesn’t talk much whenever they travel, instead watching the country roll by their window. Lily, meanwhile, roams around. She listens in on conversations between passengers a lot. People prattling on about grocery lists or football practices suddenly fascinate her. They’re normal in a way she can no longer be.

The thought doesn’t make her as sad as she’d like.

* * *

Time passes on. Lily and James do not.

* * *

Weeks after their deaths, Lily and James arrive in Alfriston. Alfriston is a small, quaint town, only an hour’s drive from London. It’s also where Alice and Frank Longbottom live. Lily’s the one who suggests a visit.

“We could check to see how things are,” Lily says. “Make sure Harry’s safe, at least. I love Sirius, but he can be a bit much sometimes. No telling how he reacted to the news.” Lily didn’t have to specify what news she was talking about.

“We don’t even know if he’s with Sirius.” James glances at shops they pass en route to the Longbottoms. Lily doesn’t remember ever going inside one. “We might’ve not been the only ones attacked that night.”

“If Sirius were dead, he would’ve found you by now.”

James laughs. It’s nice to hear him laugh again, after everything that’s happened. “Fair.”

The mood stays relatively light as they reach Alice and Frank’s house. Lily and James make small talk -- the weather, the ride over -- but it’s the most they’ve spoken to each other in weeks. By the time they reach the Longbottoms, they feel ready to learn almost anything.

They’re not ready to see Alice and Frank as specters.

* * *

Turns out the Potters were not the only ones attacked that night. Instead of being visited by the Dark Lord, the Longbottoms came face-to-face with four Death Eaters. Unlike the Potters, though, their deaths seemed to be largely accidental. One of the Death Eaters shot a killing curse the same time another shot a Cruciatus. The killing curse hit them first.

“I’m not sure whether I prefer it.” Frank glances at his hands a lot. “Life after a Cruciatus curse wouldn’t be much of a life at all. But I don’t want Neville to grow up alone.”

“He won’t.” James places a comforting hand on Frank’s shoulder. A part of Lily’s glad to see him more talkative, now that he has to comfort someone else. Another part wishes he’d comforted her the same way. “You’re still with him. Just not physically.”

Frank nods. Stoic as ever, it seems.

“I’m just glad we aren’t alone anymore.” Alice grabs Lily’s hand. “It’s nice to be recognized again.”

Lily squeezes Alice’s hand back. She can feel the hand’s weight, but not its heat.

* * *

The Longbottoms join the Potters on their journey to nowhere. The Potters are glad for the company.

* * *

Frank turns out to be a much better conversationalist in death than in life. He keeps James talking on their long trips in between towns. Alice, meanwhile, joins Lily’s eavesdropping escapades. However, Alice is considerably less invested in mundane tasks.

“Merlin’s Beard, how many eggs does one person need?”

Lily laughs. She’s missed Alice more than she’s realized.

* * *

With Frank and Alice with them, Lily and James stay off the bus more. They initially tour new towns in a group, but James and Frank are far more interested in talking to each other than actually seeing the sights. So Lily and Alice break off into their own tour.

“I’ve never really travelled in life.” Alice, too, isn’t very phased by being dead. Lily’s glad this wasn’t unique to her. “Work got in the way, then taking care of Neville. It’s nice, though.”

“Do you want to visit somewhere?” Lily asks.

Alice thinks. “Somewhere on the coast. Haven’t been to the beach in years.”

“You can’t actually do anything there.”

Lily regrets saying the sentence as soon as it leaves her mouth. Good with death or not, this feels like one step too far.

Thankfully, Alice laughs in response. “What, you think I’m going there for a tan?”

Lily and Alice devolve into giggles. Had people actually been able to see them, they would’ve started glaring.

* * *

The Potters and the Longbottoms end up visiting the beach not too long after. It’s in the middle of winter, so no one’s on the beach with them. James and Frank decide to walk near the water. Lily and Alice lay on sand they can’t feel.

“I’d wish we’d actually gone on holiday together, before this.” Lily counts Alice’s freckles as the waves bob against the shore. “Harry and Neville would’ve loved this.”

Alice ‘hm’-s. Her eyes are closed. Though the wind blows heavy around them, her hair doesn’t move. “Wouldn’t be able to relax as much as I am now.”

Lily chuckles. She glances at the water nearby. “I think I’ve talked to you more than I have James since we’ve died.”

“People grieve differently.” Lily can hear Alice sitting up. “I can’t say I know much about this sort of thing. But I can say I’m much better now than when it was just me and Frank.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

Alice shrugs. “Frank’s fine. I still care about him. But--.” She pauses. Then: “But he’s different now, then before. It’s like I can’t connect the two together now.”

A seagull cries out in the distance. The waves crash against the shore, and Lily thinks about Alice more than she does James.

“I,” Lily pauses. It’s hard to put this feeling into words, but the more she thinks about it, the more real it feels. “I think James doesn’t feel the same way about me anymore. I don’t think _I_ feel the same way about him anymore. He’s not as upfront about things. He’s quiet, and I don’t like him being quiet.”

Alice doesn’t reply. Lily turns back to Alice, who’s staring at her. Lily’s forgotten just how many freckles she has.

Lily continues. “There’s this phrase I hear a lot at weddings. ‘‘Till death do us part’. I think that became a lot more literal with us.”

“The world’s different now,” Alice agrees. “I know Frank is.”

The words “So am I” go unspoken for them both.

Lily isn’t entirely sure how they start kissing. But as the wind picks up on the beach, Lily presses her lips against Alice’s, and Alice’s fingers are in Lily’s hair. And now that they are kissing, she definitely doesn’t want to stop.

* * *

Lily and Alice do stop, however, in order to find James and Frank. They’re all still friends, after all, and it would be wrong not to tell them about this.

When they do find James and Frank, Lily and Alice discover them snogging on the beach.

James is the first to notice Lily. He turns bright red and stops kissing Frank. He licks his lips and starts sputtering an explanation. Lily’s not entirely sure what he’s talking about -- something about things feeling different with him and Frank than with him and Lily. Frank can’t even look at Alice.

But Alice can look at Lily. “Great minds think alike.”

Lily smiles. She glances at James and calls his name, interrupting his explanation. When he looks at her, she’s pulled Alice close and started kissing her again.

“Well, now.” Lily hears Frank stand. “Guess that’s cleared up.”


End file.
